50 Years Ago Today

Captain America the Movie

Ok, I have to admit right up front that I was worried about this movie. From the bits and pieces I read about the movie I wasn't all that thrilled.  I wasn't all that thrilled about Chris Evans as the hero.  I wasn't that thrilled about the costume.  Can you tell I wasn't that thrilled about the move?

That is until today, when I went to see it.  This is a really good movie.  The scenes of Evans as Steve Rogers before he became the Captain are some of the best.  I have to give Mr. Evans credit.  He makes this role his own.  They take a character that was always about more than the flag on his chest and recognize the ideals Captain America stands for.

One of the great scenes in the move is when Dr. Eskerine asks the puny Steve Rogers why he wants to join the Army, "to go and kill Nazis."

Steve's reply "I don't want to kill anyone.  I don't like bullies."

Now that's Captain America.

Comic Con

Right now, even as I write these words Comic Con is going on. It's been about 8 years since I've been and it's grown more than I can imagine.  When I went than it was huge, now it's something that people are waiting in line for literally days to get in to see some of the programs.

I am sorry that I missed the chance to see Sarah Michelle Gellar's appearance.  If I'm right this is her first showing at the con.  Now I might have waited a few hours inline to see her.

Jan 29-30

A Stan Lee Interview

This is an amazing interview with a man that has probably influenced me more than just about any other living writer.  When at the end of this interview the man tells Stan how much his writing has meant to him I found myself agreeing 100%.  I grew up with comics.  I grew up with Stan Lee.  So much of who I am today I owe to the words that Stan gave to Daredevil, Captain America, Spiderman and so many others.  I learned that being good meant more than just doing good when it was easy.  No matter how hard it got, how bad it got, the good guy did not give up on his ideals, what made him a good guy.  It's something I've never forgotten and have tried to live up to, sometimes perhaps imperfectly, but still always with that goal in mind.

There are other writers and other people that have helped make me the person I am, but Stan Lee was one of the top influences.  

Where's the comics?

While on the subject of the Comic Con.   Last week's issue of Entertainment Weekly was their Comic Con Special.   So you would have thought they might have actually mentioned comic books.  Maybe talked a little about comic books.   Nope, all their talk was about tv shows and movies.  Yes, they were shows or movies based on comic books, but still.....if you're going to do a Comic Con Special, at least talk a little about comic books.

Comic Con

The San Diego Comic Con International started today.  This is the big one.  Over 100,000 people will be there. It's been seven years since I've went and in that time it's grown by leaps and bounds.  There is serious talk about moving to L.A. or even Las Vegas, the con has taken over the entire convention center and needs more room to grow.  The sell out of tickets to the four day even almost a year ahead of time now.

Dancing Spiderman

This one's for Trav, a different type of Dancing with the Stars.

Two New Books

I recently ordered two books from Amazon and they came in the mail a few days ago. I didn't realize it at the time I ordered them but both comic strips shared the newspaper page around the same time and they both ended the same year.

The first book Looking For Calvin and Hobbes is as close to a biography of the strip's creator as we have and might get for awhile. The author was hoping to get an interview with the publicity shy Watterson to lend some insight into his book, but the creator never even contacted him to refuse his request. As far as I'm concerned Calvin is one of the best comic strips ever created, but after reading this book, I'm reminded of the old adage about not wanting to meet your heroes. Watterson comes off as a pretty cold person. He was passionate about his art and he believed that his comic strip was art (and I do too) but he comes across pretty much as a cold fish when it comes to interacting with other people. Still this was a fascinating book about the author's efforts to learn more about the creator.

The other book is the first in a five volume series that will reprint the entirety of Bloom County. I'm not sure where I would rank this comic strip but it was always one of my favorites and I look forward to exploring it from the first strip to the last.

We're living in a time where some of the great comic strips are being reprinted in deluxe editions. Besides Bloom County, there is the definite Calvin and Hobbes three huge volumes that reprint the entire run of the strip. And of course there is Peanuts which started with the first volume in 1959 and right now is up to the year 1973. Especially with the early volumes there are a lot of strips that no has seen in decades as Charles Schultz never wanted to reprint his early work until it came time for the complete edition. And happily there is Pogo coming, another of my favorite strips.

NOLA Comic Con

I was going to post yesterday but not much of anything was accomplished yesterday. The first NOLA CON was held Saturday and I think it was pretty much a success. I only have a few pictures to post as I forgot to check the batteries in my camera and they died on me. Normally I have my camera bag and I always have back up batteries in there, but I just brought my small digital camera and stuck it in my pocket. So only a few pictures. The pictures don't show the crowd, most of them were made earlier, just as the con was getting started. Evidence of pictures aside, there was quite a turn out for the show. Good enough that I think Ronnie will have another one next year.

I enjoyed myself. I made some money selling some books. I signed some autographs. (Something I will never get used to...someone wanting me to sign my name for them.) One kid even wanted his picture taken with me. Very big ego boost I have to admit, even if it only lasts while I'm at the show. Sitting at the table I got to meet some fellow writers and artists from the area, which is always nice. Was able to talk shop with some fans who are interested in writing and hopefully able to give them a little advice. I mean it's not like I'm some big shot pro, but I know a few things I hoped I was able to pass on.

The picture below is of my spot. The empty chair should have me in it. The comics in front are some of the ones I've written. The big bald guy on the right is RJ, another writer, who writes a cool strip called "Vampire Brat" and the guy in green is Tim, an artist that is really good and has illustrated such comics as "Picket Fences" for APE Entertainment.

Hey, you can tell it's a real comic book convention. There's stormtroopers. It can't be a real comic book convention unless there's someone dressed up as a stormtrooper. I know it's kind of hard to see, but look towards the back, the lighting in this picture sucks.

Someone dressed up as a comic book character.

The guy standing in front holding the plaque is Ronnie, the mastermind behind the convention. The guy standing behind him, in front of the guy in the wheelchair is his Dad. And the guy in the wheelchair is Carl. Now I'll explain more about them. Ronnie and his Dad, who is named Ron, used to own and operate the comic book shop I dealt with back in the 90's called Paper Gold. Ronnie was just a young whippersnapper back than. I think when they first opened up he was maybe 16 or 17. I became pretty good friends with Ron, Ronnie and Ron's wife and Ronnie's mother Pat who is not pictured. After they closed Paper Gold they all moved back to Houston, where I thought they still were until recently when I discovered Ronnie was back with his own shop. While in Houston I found out Ron had a heart attack and nearly died. He actually has had a heart transplant. I was really glad to see all of them again.

Now the guy in the wheelchair is Carl and around here he's kind of the King of the Comic Book Stores. I won't say he had the first comic book store in the area, but he's probably had one the longest and one of the biggest and best. Most everyone that sat behind that table that is any type of professional or semi professional spent time hanging out at Carl's shop and talking with Carl. And I include myself in that number. Carl is one of those guys that always talks tough and acts like he's putting you down, but he actually would give you the shirt off his back. Ronnie had a plaque made up for him thanking him for all his work and dedication. After Katrina Carl sold his shop and I haven't seen him since. It was a really nice thing Ronnie did.


Ok, that's my trip down memory lane.

New Orleans Comic Con

This Saturday New Orleans gets its very own Comic Book Convention. Actually not New Orleans proper, it's taking place out in Metairie, which a suburb of the city. And no, it won't be like any of the pics or things you've heard about the San Diego Comic Con. This is a small one day affair. It's being put on by an old friend of mine that used to run the comic shop I frequented on the West Bank over a decade ago. He moved to Houston and I didn't realize he moved back. This will probably be fairly small, it's the same weekend as Jazz Fest and it's just starting, but hopefully it'll be enough for him to continue it on a yearly basis. I've always thought New Orleans would be a great city for a comic convention. They tried one about ten years back that didn't seem to take, hopefully this one will.

And the coolest part of it all....I get to be a Guest. He's got a nice list of local artists and writers, some that have worked for Marvel, DC and Image, besides some of the smaller publishers like me. It's been awhile since I've sat behind a table at a convention and signed comics. I'm kind of excited.

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